International and National Heritage Protection: A Guide

Posted on Nov 8, 2024 in History

International and Protection of Historical Heritage

1. International Organizations

1.1 The League of Nations, UN, and UNESCO

The United Nations (UN) and UNESCO were created after World War II by the Letter of San Francisco on June 26, 1945. This laid the foundations of international policies on cultural heritage (final legal basis: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). The UN headquarters is in New York.

UN Objectives:

  • To maintain international peace and security
  • To promote friendly relations among nations
  • To cooperate in solving international problems (economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian)
  • To aid in the development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
  • To act as a support center to organize efforts to achieve these objectives

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), established in 1945 with headquarters in Paris, is a UN institution specializing in issues of culture.

UNESCO Objective:

  • To contribute to the maintenance of peace and security in the world by promoting, through education, science, and culture, cooperation among nations.

UNESCO – Culture Objectives:

  1. To promote the conservation of cultural heritage through agreements between member countries (193).
  2. To encourage countries to sign the World Heritage Convention to ensure the protection of natural and cultural heritage.
  3. To encourage states to propose sites within their national territory for inclusion on the World Heritage List.

UNESCO has produced two types of legal documents for protection:

  • Conventions: Multilateral treaties to strengthen cultural heritage protection (e.g., The Hague 1954, Paris 1970 and 1972).
  • Recommendations: Non-legally binding documents that are merely indicative (e.g., Belgrade 1980 and Paris 1989).

1.2 UNESCO Consultant Institutions

ICOM (International Council of Museums)

A professional organization established in 1946, ICOM is dedicated to the promotion and development of museums and the museum profession. It consists of nearly 30,000 museums worldwide.

ICOM Concerns:

  • The educational role of museums
  • The international movement of cultural goods
  • The conservation and restoration of cultural property

ICOM is a founding member (along with ICOMOS and other archives and libraries) of the International Committee of the Blue Shield (1996), which focuses on international cultural heritage protection in case of war or natural disaster.

ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)

Created in the wake of the UNESCO Conference in New Delhi (1957) during the recovery process from damage caused by World War II, ICCROM aims to raise awareness and scientific knowledge about heritage conservation and share that experience with conservation professionals (using increasingly sophisticated methods). Its headquarters is in Rome.

ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)

Founded in 1965 to promote the Venice Charter (International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites of Historical and Artistic Interest, signed in Venice in 1964), ICOMOS aims to promote the theory, methodology, and technology applied to the conservation, protection, and appreciation of monuments, ensembles, and historical sites.

ICOMOS Main Objectives:

  • To act as an international forum for dialogue and exchange among conservation professionals.
  • To assess, for the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO), together with ICCROM, the properties nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List.
  • To conduct studies and reports on the state of conservation of monuments.

2. European Organizations

2.1 The Council of Europe

Created in 1949 with headquarters in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe intends to carry out joint actions by member countries in economic, legal, social, or cultural matters, with a focus on defending a “European identity”.

Key Dates:

  • 1962: “Cultural Heritage Committee” established.
  • 1977: Spain joins.

The Council of Europe focuses on the elaboration of conventions and recommendations, such as the European Cultural Routes (e.g., Camino de Santiago, 1987).

2.2 The European Union

Founded in 1957 as the European Economic Community and becoming the European Union in 1992 (with the Maastricht Treaty’s explicit commitment to cultural heritage), the EU’s headquarters is in Brussels. In recent years, it has developed in-depth cultural policies, including the “Culture Programme”, which focuses on knowledge of European cultures (common cultural roots as key elements of European identity) and support for cultural actions.

3. The Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity

3.1 The World Heritage: Origin and Evolution

Declarations of “World Cultural and Natural Heritage” were implemented after the Paris Convention (UNESCO) in 1972. In the 1960s, fears arose about the disappearance of important art treasures due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam. An international call (“Saving Nubia”) resulted in solidarity for the salvation of these works and raised awareness of the existence of a common heritage for all humanity. Fifty countries provided financial, technical, and material support, with UNESCO coordinating and directing the tasks. The rescue lasted until 1980.

Another example is the International Safeguarding Campaign of the cities of Venice and Florence after the floods of 1966.

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted in Paris in 1972 (the “World Heritage Convention”), convened by UNESCO, recognized cooperation among nations to safeguard and transmit cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value to future generations as a primary duty. It is one of the most powerful instruments for the protection of the world’s heritage.

“Cultural Heritage” is considered to include:

  • Monuments: Architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings, and combinations of features of outstanding universal value.
  • Groups of Buildings: Groups of separate or connected buildings whose architecture, unity, and integration into the landscape give them universal value.
  • Sites: Works of man or the combined works of man and nature, including archaeological sites, which are of outstanding universal value.

Commitments of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention:

  1. Identify, propose for registration, protect, conserve, present, and transmit to future generations the cultural and natural heritage situated on its territory, and assist other States Parties in these tasks upon request.
  2. Adopt general policies to give heritage a function in community life.
  3. Integrate heritage protection into comprehensive planning programs.
  4. Establish protective services for heritage conservation and presentation.
  5. Conduct scientific and technical studies to determine appropriate measures to counteract dangers that threaten heritage.
  6. Adopt appropriate legal, scientific, technical, administrative, and financial measures necessary to protect heritage.

Process for Declaration of Eligible Heritage (Spain):

  1. Only countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention (187) are eligible.
  2. The Ministry of Culture (Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain (IPCE) / Cultural Administration of the Autonomous Region) proposes sites.
  3. The proposal is submitted to UNESCO (World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 member states).
  4. Reports are requested from advisory bodies (ICOMOS, ICCROM, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)).

3.2 Criteria for Cultural Heritage of Humanity (World Heritage List):

  1. To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius.
  2. To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning, or landscape design.
  3. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
  4. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history.
  5. To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change.
  6. To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas or beliefs, with artistic or literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should justify inclusion in the List only in exceptional circumstances and in conjunction with other criteria.)

Current Number of World Heritage Sites: 911 (704 cultural, 180 natural, and 27 mixed)

Evolution: There is increasing interest in groups of sites rather than isolated monuments.

Global Strategy: In 1994, the World Heritage Committee launched the Global Strategy to achieve a balanced, representative, and credible World Heritage List (avoiding Eurocentrism and focusing on heritage categories and geographical areas previously under-represented).

Problems:

  • The assessment of this recognition only as a privilege, regardless of the obligations it entails.
  • Damages caused by tourist pressure and speculation.

To address these problems, the International Symposium of World Heritage Cities was held in Quebec in 1991.

World Heritage List in Danger: Examples include the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador (no longer on the list).

Removal of Sites from the List: Examples include the Elbe Valley in Dresden.

Spain joined the Convention in 1982. Sites listed as World Heritage in Spain include:

  • 1984: Cathedral of Burgos, Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín in Granada, Mosque/Historic Centre of Cordoba.
  • 1986: Garajonay National Park.
  • 1987: Cathedral, Alcázar, and Archivo de Indias in Seville.

3.3 Tourism in World Heritage Sites

Tourists who choose to visit World Heritage sites tend to value their learning potential, not just passive viewing. Advantages of tourism include pride in one’s own heritage, respect and appreciation for the heritage of other countries, and economic benefits. However, drawbacks include a massive influx of tourists, pressure on local communities, and strain on local infrastructure. A solution is sustainable tourism, which benefits sites by improving their protection and conservation, allows tourists to enjoy more leisure, and boosts the local economy.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is also involved in this issue.